The figure shows the relation of void ratio and effective stress of a clay soil as a semi-log plot.
OP corresponds to initial loading of the soil. PQ corresponds to unloading of the soil. QFR corresponds to a reloading of the soil. Upon reloading beyond P, the soil continues along the path that it would have followed if loaded from O to R continuously.
The preconsolidation stress, s'pc, is defined to be the maximum effective stress experienced by the soil. This stress is identified in comparison with the effective stress in its present state. For soil at state Q or F, this would correspond to the effective stress at point P.
If the current effective stress, s', is equal (note that it cannot be greater than) to the preconsolidation stress, then the deposit is said to be normally consolidated (NC). If the current effective stress is less than the preconsolidation stress, then the soil is said to be over-consolidated (OC).
It may be seen that for the same increase in effective stress, the change in void ratio is much less for an overconsolidated soil (from e0 to ef), than it would have been for a normally consolidated soil as in path OP. In unloading, the soil swells but the increase in volume is much less than the initial decrease in volume for the same stress difference.
The distance from the normal consolidation line has an important influence on soil behaviour. This is described numerically by the overconsolidation ratio (OCR), which is defined as the ratio of the preconsolidation stress to the current effective stress.
Note that when the soil is normally consolidated, OCR = 1
Settlements will generally be much smaller for structures built on overconsolidated soils. Most soils are overconsolidated to some degree. This can be due to shrinking and swelling of the soil on drying and rewetting, changes in ground water levels, and unloading due to erosion of overlying strata.
For NC clays, the plot of void ratio versus log of effective stress can be approximated to a straight line, and the slope of this line is indicated by a parameter termed as compression index, Cc.
